Winding-indicator for watches.



PATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

J. MAZER. WINDING INDICATOR FOR WATCHES.

APPLIATION FILED AUG. 17, 1904.

INVENTOR,

WITNESSES. 2. 0? 44266:-

ofizwc W Patented May 23, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH MAZER, OF SOUTH MOALESTER, INDIAN TERRITORY.

WINDING-INDICATOR FOR WATCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,512, dated May 23, 1905,

Application filed August 17,1904. Serial No. 221,131.

To all whom. it HI/(61] concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH MAZER, a resident of South McAlester, Indian Territory, have invented a new and useful Improvement in atches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention. relates to an attachment for watches, clocks, and the like which is designed to indicate the extent to which the mainspring is wound, so that the observer may know not only when the spring is fully wound. or when it has run down, but also the extent to which it is wound at any particular moment, and the time when it will require rewinding.

In fusee or Englislrlever watches the winding-arbor turns one way when the watch is being wound and the opposite way when the watch is running, so that it is a simple matter to apply a winding-indicater thereto, it only being necessary to provide a train leading directly from the winding-arbor to the indicatorshaft, which train, arbor, and indicatorshaft turn one way when the watch is being wound and the opposite way when the watch is running; but in watches in which the winding-arbor after the watch has been wound re mains stationary while the ordinary train of the watch is driven from the mainspring-barrel it has been diflicult to employ a windingindicator. It is not easy in such watches to design mechanism which will move the indi cater when the watch is running to indicate the extent to which the spring is unwound and which will bring the indicator back to Zero when the watch is being wound.

It has been attempted to apply windingindicators in several ways to watches provided with going or safety barrels. Most of the mechanisms for this purpose have included in the train of gearing either a yielding or friction element which will slip when the watch is being wound or said train included means whereby it could be connected to and disengaged from the winding-arbor and going-barrel. In the last form of mech anism the train of gearing is necessarily compllcated, and with either form of gearing there is always liability that the parts will not come b ack accurately to the origin al position that is, either by a slip in the friction element or by the teeth of the disengageable gearing not always coming into correct mesh. As a result it is not certain in winding the watch that the indicator will be brought back to zero. It has also been attempted to apply a winding-indieator to a watch of the character named by using planetary gearing mounted on the barrel and arranged in the train between the indicator and. the winding-arbor. The difliculty with this arrangement is that the indicator will not be moved at the same speed when winding as when the watch is running, this being due tothe fact that while the watch is running the planetary gearing moves around with the barrel. As a result the indicator is moved a different distance while the watch is running than it is while winding, so that the indicator will not be brought back to zero. Other attempts to apply winding-indicators to watches provided with a safety or going barrel have resulted in complicated trains of gearing and generally a pair of trains were necessary, one operating during winding and the other while running.

The object of my invention is to provide a winding-indicator for watches or clocks pro vided with a going or safety barrel in which the foregoing defects are overcome and in which a simple train of gearing is employed and so arranged that it will insure the indicater being brought back exactly to Zero when the watch or clock is wound.

To these ends my invention consists, generally stated, in providing a single train of gearing between the going-barrel and winding-arbor on the one hand and the indicator on the other, which train is positive and nonyielding, is constantly in connection and never disengaged, and which will insure the indicator being moved to the same distance when winding as when running.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a face View of a watch, showing a winding-indicator. Fig. 2 is a face view of the mechanism with the dial and parts of the plate nary way. Only a portion of such watchtrain is indicated on the drawings, and as the same has the ordinary mode of operation and has no bearing on the invention claimed in this application it will not be described.

The winding-arbor 3 may be turned in winding the watch in any suitable way. In the drawings a well-known form of stemwinding watch is shown. The winding-shaft 7 is provided with a gear 8, engaging the usual crown-gear 9, and this is connected by an intermedlate gear 10- to the ratchet-wheel 11, secured to the winding-arbor 3. A springpressed .pawl 12 engages the teeth of the ratchet-wheel in a well-known manner, preventing the samefromturning backward.

The dial 1 has on its face the small dial 14, which is marked with suitable designations as, for instance, from zero 0) to 24 and also with the words Wind up,-and over which travels the indicator-hand 15. This dial may be located on any portion of the main dial of a watch; but in the drawings it is shown-as concentric with the seconds-dial,

the seconds-hand being shown at 16 and connected to an arbor 17, having thereon a gear 18, driven from the usual watch-train. The indicator-hand 15 is mounted on the upper end of a sleeve 19, surrounding the arbor 17 and being provided with a pinion 20 for rotating the same.

The ratchet-wheel 11 and going-barrel 4 are provided on their facing sides with snailteeth- 21, which snail-teeth are identical that is, both right-hand or both left-hand;

but inasmuch as they are placed opposite to each other they will, in effect, run in opposite directions. Interposed between and engaging both snail-gears is a rolling member 22, which is formed as an ordinary spur-gear set perpendicularly with reference to the snailgears and having its teeth engaging both. To this rolling gear is connected a rod or arm 23, which is provided at its outer end witha rack 24, which will engage a suitable pinion, such as the pinion 20 of the indicator-sleeve or-other pinion suitably geared .to said indicator-sleeve. As shown in the drawings, the arm23 is mounted-to reciprocate, being guided in suitable hangers 25, connected to the bottom plate of the movement. The arm 23 andzthe openingsin the hangers 25 are either square or of other shape other than round, so that said arm is revented from turning, thus holding the ro ling gear 22 in upright position.

The operation of this mechanism is as follows:- When the watch is being wound, the ratchet-wheel 11 is the relatively movable part, While the barrel 4 becomes the relativel stationary part. As a consequence the snai tooth 21 on the ratchet-wheel engaging the teeth of the gear 22 will roll the same along over the snail-teeth on the barrel, thus moving said gear outwardly toward the peripheries of the barrel and ratchet-wheel and reciprocating the arm 23 and rack 24. The latter rotates the pinion 20, thus moving the in-' dicator-hand' 15 over the dial from 24 back to 0. When the watch is running, the ratchet-wheel becomes the relatively stationary part and the barrel therelatively movable part, and as a result the snail-tooth. on the latter will cause the gear 22 to roll over the snail-gear on theTatchet-wheel and move the same toward the center of saidgears, thus through the bar 23 and rack 24 rotating the indicator in the opposite directionthat is, from 0 to 24and if the watchis not then wound over the words Wind up this will indicate to the observer that the watch must be wound up.

It is important that thewheel 22 move outward or away from the centers of the barrel and ratchet-wheel during winding. If said gear moved inwardly or toward the centers of the barrel and ratchet-wheel during winding, there would be opportunities for destroying the mechanism as, for instance, if the mainspring should break or slip during winding the ratchet-wheel would continue to turn and carry the gear 22 inwardly against the barrel-arbor and result in destroying the teeth on gear 22. Therefore moving thegear 22 outwardly while winding and inwardly when the watch is running is the most practical arrangement. The reverse arrangementcould be employed if the snailteeth were removed at the centers of the barrel and ratchet-wheel, so that the gear 22 could not be moved inwardly against the barrel-arbor, or if suitable stop-works were employed to secure the same result. ments possesses the advantages of the arrangement shown in the drawings; but I wish it understood that they are not excluded by the terms of the claims.

The'mechanism described is exceedingly simple, requiring few additional parts to an ordinary watch, and the movement is positive in both directions, no yielding or disengageable elements being employed. As a consequence the indicator-hand will always be brought backexactly to zero and will be moved through equal distances in both directions.

Neither of-these alternative arrange- Numerous modifications may be made in the details of my invention without departing from the principle thereof. The bar 23 instead of having a sliding or reciprocating movement may be pivoted and have an oscillating movement, in which event the rack member 24; would be curved in an arc struck about the pivotal point of the bar 23 It is also not necessary that the snail-gears 21 be formed on the ratchet-wheel and head of the barrel, although for simplicity this is preferred. They may be formed upon. other rotating disks driven the one from the arbor and the other from the barrel.

Instead of using a going-barrel such as illustrated, and in which the entire barrel rotates during the running of the watch, my invention can be applied equally as well to what is known as a safety-barrel, wherein the barrel itself does not rotate, but only the head thereof, to which head the inner end of the mainspring is connected. Inasmuch as the gearing in my invention is attached only to the head of the barrel, it can be applied in exactly the same manner to the rotary head of the safety-barrel. I intend, therefore, by the term barrel" as used in. my claims to include not only the going-barrel illustrated, but also a safety-barrel.

My invention may be applied to any springdriven mechanism, as well as to watches and clocks.

What I claim is- 1. In a watch or the like, the combination with a mainspring, an d barrel and arbor con nected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the mainspring, two oppositely-facing snail-gears connected to rotate the one with the arbor and the other with the barrel, and gearing en gaged by both snail-gears and connected to the indicator.

2. In a watch or the like, the combination with the mainspring, and barrel and arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the mainspring, two oppositely-facing snail-gears connected to rotate the one with the arbor and the other with the barrel, a rolling gear interposed between and engaging both snailgears, and an indicatonaetuating means connected to said rolling gear.

3. In a watch or the like, the combination with the mainspring, and barrel and arbor connected. to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the mainspring, two opposite-facing snail-gears connected to rotate the one with the arbor and the other with the barrel, a rolling teethgear interposed between and engaging both snail-gears, a rack-bar connected-to said rolling gear, a pinion engaged by said rack-bar, and connecting means between the indicator and said pinion.

4. In a watch or the like, the combination with a mainspring, and barrel and arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the mainspring, two oppositely-facing snail-gears connected to rotate the one with the arbor and the other with the barrel, a toothed gear interposed between and engaging both snailgears, a reciprocating bar connected with said toothed gear, a rack formed on said reciprocating bar, a pinion engaged by said rack, and connections between said pinion and indicator.

In a watch or the like, the combination with the mainspring, and barrel and arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator-hand to show the condition. of the mainspring, a wheel connected to the arbor, snail-teeth formed on the facing sides of said wheel and on the barrel-head, a rolling gear interposed between said snail-teeth and engaging both, and indicator-actuated means connected to said gear.

6. In a watch or the like, the combination with the mainspring, and going-barrel and winding-arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the mainspring, a ratchet-wheel connected to the winding-arbor, snail-teeth formed on the facing sides of said ratchet-wheel and barrel-head, and gearing engaging both snailgears and connected to the indicator.

7. In a watch or the like, the combination with the mainspring, and barrel and arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, two oppositely-facing snail-gears connected to retate the one with the arbor and the other with the barrel, a rolling gear interposed between and engaging both snail-gears, an arm connected to said rolling gear, a sleeve surrounding the seconds-arbor and carrying an indicator-hand and connections between said arm and sleeve to actuate the latter.

8. In a watch or the like, the combination with a mainspring, and a barrel and an arbor connected to the opposite ends thereof, of an indicator to show the condition of the main spring, two oppositely-facing snail-gears con nected to rotate the one with the arbor and the other with the barrel, a rolling gear interposed between and engaging both snail-gears and arranged to move toward the peripheries of said snail-gears when the watch is being wound and toward the centers of said snailgears when the watch is running, and con nections between said rolling gear and the indicator.

In testimony whereof I, the said JOSEPH MAZER, have hereunto set my hand.

JOSEPH MAZER.

IVitnesses P. D. OIIASTAIN, ALBERT W. JoNEs. 

